Stardate: 80523:1851
Title: Memories and a Candy Cottage
Author: Bridget (Gitta) Conway
Time: Current
Scene: Planet-side


Following at the end of the group, Gitta was not happy that they were heading to the castle. She knew that they must but nonetheless she was not thrilled about the idea of forgetting her past to become Cinderella again. Not that she didn"t the like the story - as a small child she would ask her mother to read it to her...

~

She remembered that once she had asked her mother why Cinderella’s stepmother was so mean to her.

Her mother picked her up, placed her on her lap. "She did not understand Cinderella and sometimes when people do not understand someone they try to make them feel bad."

"Like yours and Daddy’s mommy and daddy?" Gitta also remembered innocently asking her mother, and the shock on her mother"s face when she had asked this. It occurred to Gitta now that her mother had not realized that Gitta understood that her grandparents disapproved of her mother and father’s marriage.

Her father, who had been sitting nearby working and heard the whole conservation, laughed. "Out of the mouths of babes" he responded.

Her mother gave her husband a dirty look as she said to him, "Robert Conway, you know not to talk about your and my parents like that in front of her".

Her father gave Gitta’s mother a dirty look back. "It's the truth, Marge. Why try to hide it from her? I'm not sure how you can forgive them after they turned their back on you and me. They don't even acknowledge that they have a granddaughter..."

Marge held her daughter in her arms, and spoke to both her husband and daughter. "Because people do one bad thing it does not mean that you can erase all of the good things they have done for you, Robert. Our parents did what they did out of love... They thought us being together would only end in pain... your mother and father love you..."

Her father nodded in agreement to his wife’s comments, kissed his wife, lifted Gitta out of her lap and threw her in the air. Gitta laughed. Her father kissed her too.

"You're lucky that your mother is so wise or you would be in trouble my little one." He put Gitta’s head on his shoulder and look at his wife. "Marge, if our parents could see what an amazing person that our love has brought into this world..."

"I know, but right now our little princess needs her sleep." Gitta’s mother replied.

She smiled at her mother. "Am I really a princess, mommy?"

Her mother smiled back. "To us you are."

~

The memory seemed so clear to Gitta. She could swear that she could smell her mother’s favorite perfume. The idea of losing the memories of her parents was something she could not imagine but she knew that she and the others had no choice but to risk doing so.

"I see that look on your face, Gitta," Ross said as he came over.

"What look?" She asked curiously.

Ross smiled, joking. "The one that all science officers have when they are busy figuring something out and usually finds me ducking for cover."

Gitta smiled and, without missing a beat, replied. "Okay, you got me... I am trying to figure what kind of computer could make YOU Prince Charming!"

Emma laughed. "That"s one for the scientific Cinderella, Ross."

The Operations Officer looked at both Emma and Gitta. "Don't encourage her, Emma. And as for you, Newbie, if you want to solve a puzzle, figure out how we can get some food since it must be hours since we have eaten."

Emma looked at Ross. "My stomach is killing me... I wish I could eat this apple."

Gitta took the apple that Emma was holding. "I think you should stay away from apples for now... just to be safe. Maybe we can find some fruit..."

As the rest of the group were looking around the nearby trees to see if they could find any fruit, Gitta - who had walked futher up the path from the group - called to them. They met up with her and saw her pointing at small house. The house look like regular country cottage expect it was make of gingerbread and candy.

"This was not here when I walk through this way last time..." Gitta muttered.

Suddenly the group could the voice of the Narrator. "The sudden appearance of the candy cottage makes our group of heroes wonder what other surprises this world of fairytales holds for them."

Ross shock his head in disgust. "He doing voiceovers now?"

Gitta walked ahead and took a piece of gingerbread and placed it in her mouth. "He is the Narrator... Well, at least we will not starve. Let's go introduce ourselves to the owner of this house. Maybe we can get directions to the castle or see if they have seen any other members of the Horizon."


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Ensign Bridget (Gitta) Conway
Science Officer
USS Horizon
NCC-72400
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